It is common for people to store documents and collectibles in a fashion that is easy to display and view and that is also easy to store. In particular, people take photographs of events and store these photos in photo album sheets or pages that are disposed in loose leaf books. A person looking at the photos can page through the book to view many pictures. However, there are presently no products available for storing the photos in a photo sheet in a way that ensures the safety of the photos from exposure to smoke and water or other types of detrimental gases and liquids.
Several devices have been used or are in current use for the storage and display of photos in photo albums. In a first example, photo corner supports are glued onto a page. The corners of the photos are then inserted into the corner supports, and the photo is held on the page by its corners. In another example, two transparent sheets are heat sealed together along substantially parallel lines to form at least one pocket with two open ends. The first open end can be blocked by the binder of a loose leaf notebook. A photo can be inserted and retracted through the second open end. These examples are problematic in that the photos are not protected from the environment. Debris and liquid, such as a spilled drink or smoke, can easily contact and damage a photo while a person is looking at the photo stored and displayed in the book. Furthermore, photos stored in these photo albums are subject to water and smoke damage in the case of a fire or flood.
In another example, a paper page is coated in adhesive, and a flexible transparent sheet is releasably disposed on the page. To use this photo page, a consumer must lift the sheet, place a photo on the page with adhesive, and then reapply the sheet to the page to activate the adhesive. In this configuration, if the adhesive is too strong, it will bond too severely to the photo, and the photo can be ripped if the photo is removed. If the adhesive is not strong enough, the sheet will not bond to the page, and the photo can become exposed. In practice, the adhesive generally is too strong at first, then, as the album is used, and some of the adhesive wears away or becomes dirty, the adhesive becomes too weak.
In another example, documents are stored in sheet protectors, generally a pair of 8½″×11″ or 12″×12″ sheets secured along three edges to define a pocket in between. The sheets are typically made from transparent plastic film—either polypropylene or polyvinylchloride. These sheet protectors are also used for memory scrapbooks by crafters, who make creative and intricate items that can be slipped into the pocket between the sheets. The sheets can be fitted for loose leaf binders and have an opening along the top for inserting the document. As with the photo page, there is no protection against water or smoke.
Thus, there is still a need for a page that is easy to use and that can safely store documents in a way that will not cause damage to the documents, but that will protect the document from water and smoke.